Rondiak’s previous work as a professional psychotherapist, her commitment to motherhood, and rich cultural heritage, form the foundation for her creative expression. As a first generation American born to immigrant parents, Rondiak explores how historical knowledge of familial roots and culture help to navigate her life. Her art reflects her family history and her personal journey. As she traces her ancestor’s footsteps, she recognizes the deep impact on her identity today in the context of her responsibility as a member of society. Her work, as stated by Kathrine Page (former curator at The Delaware Contemporary Museum), “harvests a bold, new, deeply personal prototype emblematic of feminine tenacity stitched in truth through the thread of her own story. Rondiak’s creativity cuts the cloth of a new absolute beauty with a redemptive quality that clearly understands the important healing role of art and the psyche for future generations.” 

Living in Ukraine for 25 years through two revolutions, Rondiak discovered the stories of her grandmother’s faith, the secret embroideries she made while she was in a female labor prison camp, and her grandfather’s strength in surviving torture and near starvation during WWII. It is no wonder Rondiak’s art has been described as “contemporary work with a historical conscience.”

Through layering of fabrics, papers, mosaics, paints, ropes, and plaster, Rondiak explores the various facets of female identity, freedom, conformity, trans-generational pain, and healing. As a result, the female image looms large in her work underpinning the terrain for truth and dignity. Embracing her femininity with all its mystery, strength, and dignity, Rondiak’s work offers a meditative quality as a reminder of how we are all connected through our dreams and desires. One of the dominant motifs in her work is the vinok, a headdress which was worn by Ukrainian women as part of the national costume.  After the war began in Ukraine in 2014, Rondiak created a series of contemporary Motanka sculptures. Inspired by ancient Ukrainian rag dolls, each serve as a talisman for good health, fortune, and healing. Her Neo-Pop sculptures, influenced by her children's clothing, are fabricated out of plaster of Paris, old signs, and homework papers. They testify to better times, a notion of passing time, and the weaving of histories.



Artist bio

Ola Rondiak (b. 1966, American) is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work is rooted in her deep-seated commitment to motherhood and rich Ukrainian cultural heritage. Her work visualizes family history, her personal journey of tracing her ancestor’s footsteps, and how her family legacy impacts and informs her identity in the context of contemporary society. By layering fabrics, papers, mosaics, paints, ropes, and plaster, Rondiak explores various facets of female identity, freedom, conformity, trans-generational pain, and healing.

Rondiak received her M.Ed in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, and her BA in Psychology and Education from Hunter College, NY. She also studied at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Rondiak’s work has been exhibited at The Maidan Museum and RA Gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine; The Shevchenko National Museum and The National Museum of Decorative Art in Kaniv, Ukraine; Context Miami (Dec 2018) with Tauver’s Gallery International; the Honchar Museum in Kyiv; US Embassy in Kyiv; Tri-Mission Art Gallery in the American Embassy in Rome, Italy; Dzyga Gallery in Lviv, Ukraine; The Ukrainian Institute of America in NYC; The Delaware Contemporary Museum in Wilmington, DE; Zorya Fine Art Gallery in Greenwich, CT; The Ukrainian National Museums in Cleveland and Chicago; The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Paris, France; The Ukrainian Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA; Bereznitsky Art Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine; The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in NYC. Rondiak’s work is in the permanent collections of The Revolution of Dignity Museum in Kyiv, Ukraine; The Ukrainian Embassy in Bern Switzerland; Shevchenko Museum & National Museum of Decorative Arts in Kaniv, Ukraine; Ukrainian Embassy in Paris; Hudson River Museum in New York, and many private collectors.